Calm down

I'm moving. I'll get to this blog when I get to it.

Hopefully.

What I love about the States

I may love Brazil, but I am still AMERICAN, baby, and very proud to be so.

So. So. So. Glad to be home. No words.

In no particular order, I love ...

• That I have my husband back (he's not bishop anymore)
• English
• Target
• Wal-mart (yes, Wal-mart)
• Mexican food
• Good restaurants - and a variety
• Multi-ethnic culture
• Open-mindedness
• That we don't put up with crap
• Respect for children's nap times
• Family hour on television (pornogrpahy restrictions!)
• No smoking areas
• Blueberries
• General respect for authority figures
• Most people obey the traffic signals
• Adequate parking spaces
• That everyone on my street is eating something different
• Sandwiches
• Brown sugar
• Lemons
• Sour cream
• Chocolate chips
• Peanut butter
• Cadbury
• Tortillas
• Salsa
• Good quality cleaning/laundry products
• Washing machines that DON'T TAKE FOUR HOURS FOR A CYCLE AND ACTUALLY GET THE CLOTHES CLEAN
• Convenience
• Wendy's (especially Frosties)
• Good doctors
• EDUCATION
• Shorter work day
• Mini-vans
• Large shopping carts that actually fit the carseat
• Much better traffic
• No motoboys
• That people use seat belts
• Our phone etiquette
• Quality children's clothing
• Cheap, quality educational toys
• Good TV
• Movies in English (no more dubbing!)
• Lots of temples
• Church is fairly organized and running
• People tend to have bigger families
• Parents are involved in the schools
• Normal school hours
• Homework - yes, homework
• Extracurricular activities
• City planning
• Zoning - no more bars next to houses
• Tact
• Political correctness
• (Mostly) honest politicians
• Safety
• Cereal
• Bagels
• Libraries
• Milk
• Cottage cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Garbage disposals
• Dishwashers
• Tampons
• Flushable toilet paper
• Playgrounds
• Quality diapers
• Quality wipes

...to be continued

What I miss about Brazil

My Man was transferred to Brazil in October 2004, and it was love at first sight. We left a part of us there when we moved to Arizona in June 2009.

I ache for ...

• JeaneGeorgiaGildaRenataGiseldaGenyFernanda...
• The young women
• Maracuja (passion fruit to you)
• Freakin' GOOD mangoes
• Freakin' GOOD pineapple
• Freakin' GOOD watermelon
• Fresh juice everywhere you go
• Green, green, green
• Gorgeous flowers and trees
• Padarias (bakeries) on every corner- hmmmm
• Pao de Frances (special 'French bread')
• The weather
• The macaws squawking outside my window
• Cutting in line when you're pregnant or if you have kids under two years old
• CAKE
• Salgadinhos - 'specially cheese balls with hot sauce
• Beaches
• Monsoons
• The hugs
• The touchie-feely-ness
• Smell of the streets at lunch hour
• Fresh tubs of garlic
• Cheap manicures - and the fact that everyone gets them (R$15 for both hands and feet - half that in dollars!)
• Cheap help - maids will "white glove" clean your house every day for $150 a month
• Feeling needed - being able to help lots of people
• Their humility
• Their economy - buying only what they need
• Their general optimism and happiness that they exude at every step
• Negotiating any and every price
• Shoe shops that fix your favorite shoes like new - for pennies
• Spa-like hairdressers for dirt cheap
• Construction workers who actually work - and fast
• Feeling special/different
• The BEEF - particularly picanha (and the price!)
• Being able to stop by a friend's house "just because" - everyone has an open door policy
• Everyone has cake at all times
• The cleanliness - every time I invited a Brazilian over (or even if I didn't) they left my house sparkly clean
• Their unconditional love
• How they keep up with everything - they know everything there is to know about the States. What do you know about Brazil?
• Rice and beans
• Farofa
• Pao de Queijo
• Awesome flip-flops
• Great hair treatments
• Best nail polish ever
• Service - Brazilians are always ready to serve, no matter what you need. Always.
• Femininity - Brazilian women revel in being women. Very girly-girl women (hair, makeup, jewelery, the whole gig - all the time)
• Kids are kings
• Everyone always exclaimed over my kids (blue-eyed blondes are a rarity)
• They think pregnant bellies are beautiful
• Honesty - they never "white-lie"
• They always make twice as much food as they need - in case someone drops by
• Deliveries - everything delivers, from McDonald's to the bookstore
• "Pizziola" pizza - oooo, and maragueirta too
• Service at the stores - there's always someone at your beck and call
• Churrascarias
• Sazon and Sabor Ami seasonings (essencial for rice and beans)
• They don't care if you don't shave your legs
• "Lembrancinhas" - Brazilians love to give gifts. Any reason will do
• Their proactivity and industry
• Trufas and brigadeiros
• Church activity - something's going on at the chapel almost every night; and everyone goes
• Everyone is naturally "green"
• Walking
• ..... and so much more

Why Pensievity?

(pen - SEEVE - ih - tee)

In the Harry Potter series (and if you're not familiar with my pal Har-man, please send me an email because WE NEED TO TALK), a Pensieve is a stone receptacle used to store and review memories. Covered in mystic runes, it contains memories that take physical form as a type of matter that is described as neither liquid nor gas. A witch or wizard can extract their own or another person’s memories, store them in the Pensieve, and review them later. It also relieves the mind when it becomes cluttered with information. Anyone can examine the memories in the Pensieve, which also allows viewers to fully immerse themselves in the memories stored within. (from wikipedia.com)

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